If you want to gather honey, don’t kick over the beehive.
—Dale Carnegie (1888–1955) American Self-Help Author
Let the motive be in the deed and not in the event. Be not one whose motive for action is the hope of reward.
—The Bhagavad Gita Hindu Scripture
People with a high level of personal mastery are able to consistently realize the results that matter most deeply to them–in effect, they approach their life as an artist would approach a work of art. The do that by becoming committed to their own lifelong learning.
—Peter Senge (b.1947) American Management Consultant, Author, Scientist
Blessings ever wait on virtuous deeds, and though a late, a sure reward succeeds.
—William Congreve (1670–1729) English Playwright, Poet
So you can see that if you direct that force at several objectives, it becomes divided, and each objective receives a fairly weak stimulus, which results in a slow reaction, or no reaction at all. Do you have a great, ultimate goal to reach that requires attaining lesser objectives along the way? Well then, let the many lie inactive and direct your force at the nearest or first; once you accomplish that, take up the next and so on.
—Roger McDonald (b.1941) Australian Novelist, Poet, Screenwriter, Writer
Your automatic creative mechanism is teleological. That is, it operates in terms of goals and end results. Once you give it a definite goal to achieve, you can depend upon its automatic guidance system to take you to that goal much better than “you” ever could by conscious thought. “You” supply the goal by thinking in terms of end results. Your automatic mechanism then supplies the means whereby.
—Maxwell Maltz (1899–1975) American Surgeon, Motivational Writer
Contrary to what most of us believe, happiness does not simply happen to us. It’s something that we make happen, and it results from doing our best. Feeling fulfilled when we live up to our potentialities is what motivates differentiation and leads to evolution.
—Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (b.1934) Hungarian-American Psychologist
No man, who continues to add something to the material, intellectual and moral well-being of the place in which he lives, is left long without proper reward.
—Booker T. Washington (1856–1915) African-American Educationist
A state of expectancy is a great assetl; a state of uncertainty—one moment thinking “perhaps” and the next moment thinking “I don’t know”—will never get desired results.
—Ernest Holmes (1887–1960) American New Thought Writer, Teacher
Work, every hour, paid or unpaid; see only that thou work and thou canst not escape thy reward. Whether thy work be fine or coarse, planting corn, or writing epics, so only it be honest work, done to thine own approbation, it shall earn a reward to the senses, as well as to the thought. The reward of a thing well done, is to have done it.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–82) American Philosopher
Whatever results you’re getting, be they rich or poor, good or bad, positive or negative, always remember that your outer world is simply a reflection of your inner world. If things aren’t going well in your outer life, it’s because things aren’t going well in your inner life. It’s that simple.
—T. Harv Eker (b.1954) American Motivational Speaker, Lecturer, Author
A new idea must not be judged by its immediate results.
—Nikola Tesla (1856–1943) Serbian-American Electrical Engineer, Inventor
A reward cannot be valued if it is not understood.
—Phillip C. Grant
Before every action ask yourself. Will this bring more monkeys on my back. Will the result of my action be a blessing or a heavy burden?
—Alfred A. Montapert (1906–97) American Engineer, Philosopher
The reward of great men is that, long after they have died, one is not quite sure that they are dead.
—Jules Renard (1864–1910) French Writer, Diarist
As electricity is a great power in the world, so the inner mind is the greatest power available to you. Neither operates independently; both depend upon a separate agency to ignite them to action, and both bring helpful or harmful results according to the wisdom or ignorance with which they are directed.
—Roger McDonald (b.1941) Australian Novelist, Poet, Screenwriter, Writer
The only way to earn what you’re really worth is to get paid based on your results.
—T. Harv Eker (b.1954) American Motivational Speaker, Lecturer, Author
With every deed you are sowing a seed, though the harvest you may not see.
—Ella Wheeler Wilcox (1850–1919) American Poet, Journalist